Okay, this one isn’t exactly for those who listen to MP3s through their iMac’s built-in speakers. Olive and Thiel Audio have unveiled the Olive+THIEL HD Music System (HDMS), a high-end audio setup that consists of three parts: a server, speakers and cabling.
The flagship 4+ HD music server holds 6,000 CDs or 20,000 24-bit HD music tracks, and comes with a touch screen LCD and support for an iPhone and iPod touch control app for use as a remote.
Meanwhile, Thiel’s SCS4D loudspeakers are two-way bookshelf models that work in both upright and sideways configurations (no small feat, as the audio response changes dramatically when you do this). Each speaker features a die-cast aluminum front baffle, a 24-bit DAC, and a 200-watt class D amplifier.
The system connects together with Ethernet cables, and lets you connect up to four pairs of Thiel SCS4D speakers. That’s assuming you’ve got the money, because the base system with one pair of speakers costs $7,900. Head over to www.olivethiel.com for more details.
Call us crazy, but we think this is an idea that just might work. Olive, known for high-end music servers, and Thiel, who we’ve seen in this space purveying high-end speakers and IP-based audio solutions, have joined forces to rock your condo, trendy loft space, or dentist’s office. Built around the Olive 4HD (with its 2TB storage, 24-bit / 192kHz sound, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, and an iPhone / iPod touch remote control app), the Olive+Thiel can rock up to four pairs of Thiel’s SCS4D IP-based self-powered speakers with 6.5 Inch Coaxial/Coincident driver and 200W Class D Power Amp. In addition to the server functionality, this bad boy can rock you out via its analog and USB digital audio inputs — trust us, Butterfly by Crazy Town has never sounded this sweet! (OK, maybe its never sounded that sweet to begin with.) Available this month for $7,900. PR after the break.
Man, we’d usually say it’s been a hot minute since we heard from iLive, but when you’re pushing a full year, that’s just a woeful understatement. Nevertheless, the peripheral outfit is hitting back in a big way here at CES, tossing out no fewer than 33 new iPod and iPhone-compatible audio products. We won’t bother detailing the lower-end gear, but a few of the highlights include the iTDP610B bar speakers with built-in DVD player — which touts a motorized door that opens to reveal the iPhone dock and to load and unload a DVD– and the iHP310B micro audio system. The former can be had in two sizes (32- or 37-inch) for $199.99, while the latter is pegged at $99.99. Peep that source link if you’re hungry for more, and give the gallery a look for some visual eye candy to accompany it.
Surround sound can be a pain when all you want to do is just watch some TV. If you’re the kind of person who’s pining for quality audio without the bells and whistles of full surround, or if you just don’t have the room for five speakers, Boston Acoustics‘ TVee Model 20 is worth a look. We reviewed the similar Model 2 when it was released over two years ago and found it to be a simple way to get good quality audio out of your flat screen, as long as you’re not looking for stereo separation.
The Model 20 is a soundbar and wireless subwoofer pair, designed for TVs 32 inches and larger. The system connects to a TV set with a single cable, minimizing a good deal of the clutter that can usually be found lurking behind an HDTV’s polished front.
The system will offer design and audio quality similar to the Model 2, but at a reduced price ($300 instead of the Model 2’s $350) thanks to new driver technology. Features include a 6-inch bass driver on the wireless subwoofer and a remote learning function that lets you use your existing remote to control the speaker. The Boston Acoustics Model 20 will be available in March.
When we walked the sound-filled halls of Klipsch’s Indianapolis headquarters last month, the company insisted that it was always looking at possible expansions into new markets. Today at CES, it’s proving that those words aren’t being uttered carelessly. The all-new LightSpeaker is a unique and potentially game-changing device in the whole home audio market, as unlike similar contraptions, this one requires no external wiring or power. The device is designed to fit into normal 5- to 6-inch light recesses, which enables existing homeowners to easily retrofit these into their ceilings and walls. We were granted some hands-on time with the light, and put simply, you just screw it into a conventional fixture, dial up the desired zone on the bundled remote, and listen. A full-range driver sits just beneath the LED light, and it receives signals via a 2.4GHz base station that can be plugged into just about any source.
Klipsch plans to ship these soon in two main packages: a kit that includes a base station and two LightSpeakers for around $600 and a single LightSpeaker by its lonesome for around $250. The bundled controller allows users to control two zones and two sources, and you can also adjust lighting brightness and volume via the main station or the smaller remote. Each zone can easily support four LightSpeakers, and when we asked if these could withstand the elements, we were told that they’d do fine in a covered patio but probably not within an unshielded pool deck. In other words, some humidity shouldn’t be an issue, but you probably wouldn’t want ’em to get rained on all night. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a bundle in the future that includes a wireless subwoofer to really round out the audio, but don’t say you heard it from us. Peek the gallery for a closer look!
While many companies are trying to keep their CES announcements under wraps until they’re ready for the big reveal, gadget-maker Scosche has announced its 2010 accessories. Fellow gadget nerds, take note.
Owners of the third-generation iPod Shuffle will be able to protect their players with clear shatterproof polycarbonate TapStick cases (shown). The TapStick adds Play, Pause, and Volume controls to the Shuffle for those who want more than headphone controls. Speaking of the iPhone, Scosche will also unveil the new FlipSync keychain charge and sync cable for the iPhone and iPod. It provides owners with a convenient syncing cable that fits on a keychain.
Scosche will also unveil the IDR655m Earphones with TapLine II Remote and Mic, noise isolating earphones with convenient in-line controls and a microphone. For power on-the-go, the company will offer the ReviveLite II, a smaller version of its ReviveLite, which offers an additional USB port. Users will be able to charge their iPhone or iPod plus an additional USB device. The ReviveLite II also features a night light, so it’s perfect for unfamiliar hotel rooms.
The TSA hasn’t explained jack. But we found this audio of a pilot explaining the new in-flight security arrangements. Based on that, and what else we know, here’s an unofficial guide to travel in the age of the underwear bomb.
Duh: Get To the Airport Early
No one knows what the hell is going on. Some places are reporting that British Airways became the first airline to impose a one carry on bag only rule, to help make the other thing we heard rumors of—mandatory bag searches and secondary pat downs for every passenger flying internationally into the US—go quicker. No word if they’re talking about the “personal item” that goes along with the already standard “one bag”, but it’s safer to assume so. Otherwise, why would they restate the restriction? BA says they’ll waive the check in fee, so that’s good news. The bad news is that at any time, any other airline can decide to pick up and follow suit, so be prepared to check in a carry on bag (I.E. don’t carry on fragile stuff that you can’t shove all into one bag.)
Oh! More confirmation just this second from Kotaku‘s chief, Brian Crecente who is flying back from Australia right this moment with some very whiny kids (not his) a few rows away:
We had a second screening at the gate. Hands on thorough check of every bag. Also asked me to open my laptops, but not to turn it on. Then did a metal detector sweep of everyone and very quick pat down. Male security guards for men, women for women.
His captain said that there would be some security procedures they’d have to follow that “won’t hurt” but are “slightly unusual.”
Will They Search Your Underwear or Crotch For Air Safety?
No word on crotch pat downs, yet. UPDATE: It appears that the pat downs focus on the “torso” and “upper legs”. Upper legs not quite the crotch. I’m torn. I’m happy to retain my security screening virginity, but Hhow will they find the rest of the underwear bombs without going all the way?
Be Ready For Anything, Especially Surprises
We have heard that only international flights entering the US are going to be going through these pains. But we’ve seen other data to the contrary, and again, we don’t have official word about which flights will enforce these rules, except that we should expect randomness, especially in domestic flights (emphasis added):
“Passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere. Due to the busy holiday travel season, both domestic and international travelers should allot extra time for check-in.”
However, readers are coming in with evidence that even domestic flights are being restricted somehow.
And from a Gynranger, who flew domestically:
I few yesterday, just a domestic flight, from New York, NY to Savanna, GA. We were allowed to use electronics but during take off until cruising alt and about 30 minutes before landing they made us shut everything off, including iPods or computers and other devices even those that didnt broadcast.
Again, be ready for hell.
The Important Stuff: Gadgets
It sounds, as if we’ll be ok between take off and landing, with gadgets. British Airways is letting people bring electronics on the plane. Some flights are letting people use gadgets up until the last hour, some the last thirty minutes. But as said in this Jetblue audio recording, there will be no in flight entertainment system; “no movies, no tv, no xm radio, the system is required by federal government to be shut down.” But it sounds like most flights are allowing gadgets, and all the variation in restriction is happening at landing.
Where You Are is a Secret. Like the Apple Tablet. So Not Really a Secret.
The government, according to some of our readers, have requested the in flight maps be turned off, too, to, I presume, eliminate the risk of geo precise bombings near the end of the flight? Then again, the flight attendants warning you to not get up the last hour of flight and landing gear dropping are sure signs of landing, so WTF.
It’s Always Gonna Be Sweater-Weather
You’re not allowed to have anything genuinely useful on your lap in the final hour of flight—the sterile period—and that rule includes blankets and the like. This makes attempting to snooze through the remaining portion of the trip chilly and awkward, particularly since pillows are banned as well, so it might be wise to at least dress warm enough to maintain some semblance of comfort.
Bring a Book or Prepare to Die of Boredom
Bring a book. Not a Kindle, not a Nook, not any other sort of ebook reader, but a plain ol’ low-tech book. Because apparently books are pretty much the only thing you can have in your hands during the final hour of your flight (“the government says ok”) and how the hell else will you keep from falling into a cold and uncomfortable slumber?
Here, more inconsistency appears, with some readers saying no books on landing either.
From Arturo:
We flew from Eugene, OR to San Francisco today: they would not even let us read paperback books that we had brought with us. According to them, the new TSA directive is that in the last hour of flight, we are not allowed to leave our seats, nor use or have anything from our carry-on luggage or personal items.
But it is unclear if the books were being restricted because the flyers didn’t already have them in hand, or if they were in bags. Again: Confusing!
Update: Arturo wrote in to explain that he already had the book in hand at the time of the announcement:
I already had the book in my hands when they made the announcement. I never accessed my carry-on. They made us put our reading material away anyhow. This included magazines and anything else that we brought on board. Strangely enough, they didn’t seem to mind passengers accessing their wallets when beverage service came through the cabin.
Even more confusing!
Tinkle Before the “Sterile Period” Starts
As if having to abandon your personal items during the last hour of the flight isn’t enough, you’re not allowed to get up to use the restroom during that time. The captain in the audio recording referred to the Since I doubt that your flight attendants would appreciate seeing you break out a bedpan, just plain head to the lavatory before the seat belt sign hits and a line forms.
Then again, some readers are reporting that on their flights, they saw plenty of standing up and walking around going on after the mandatory buckle up:
I must have seen 30 people still doing whatever 20 minutes in and half a dozen people just get up anyways for the final 40 minutes to use the bathroom, go to their bags, whatever, and that was just where I was sitting.
Again: Madness!
More News Soon, Says Pilot
We’ve been keeping an eye on what’s happening in the news regarding flight security measures and gadget-centric regulations, but based on the pilot’s announcement, it sounds like some “more news” will hit the wires “tomorrow”. No idea if this recording happened yesterday or today, but we’ll find out come Monday. I mean, the TSA has to say something, right? I mean, other than “Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit” with their actions.
What Now?
That’s what we’ve learned from that almost chilling recording. Of course, whether any of that will actually improve actual security is questionable. One thing is certain: All these procedures have raised my personal terror status to the sunset hue of orange-red. [Thanks,Jake Lodwick]
Special Addendum: If I am a Head of State or Roll Deep With Heads of State, Do I Have To Put Up With This Shit?
My brother worships two things: God and Subwoofers.
We were raised to be quiet, well-mannered Lutherans. But for Erik, there was nothing quiet about the gospel. In church, he sang as loud as he could. He didn’t care what anyone else thought – he was reaching out to the Lord and it was our problem if it made our ears ring.
One Sunday, the rumbling bass and baritone voices in the choir sang, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and Erik felt God’s presence. That rattle and boom was God’s voice literally vibrating his heart. We were still young but it decided everything: he would do the Lord’s work and it would be loud.
He enrolled in seminary as soon as he could, spent some time in the Holy Land and discovered that a low-end 25 watt sub could not adequately convey the genius of either John Paul Jones bass work on Led Zeppelin IV or the sermons of that other John Paul. Both required an upgrade to a 125 watt Miller & Kreisel MK II sub.
God understood.
My brother must not have mentioned his acoustic theory of divinity when he was ordained because the Bishop assigned him to an elderly congregation in rural Washington State. The greeting committee could hear Pastor Erik coming from miles away – the sound of a booming bass floated across the raspberry fields and through the apple orchards. Things didn’t quiet down after he parked his car in the church’s gravel parking lot. Erik rejects silences with a roaringly good-natured laugh and a voice that would feel at home in the Super Dome. The senior citizens responded by permanently notching down their hearing aids.
Pastor Erik didn’t mind – he just spoke louder and pointed out some immediate problems with the pretty, white steepled church. First, the 20 year old sound system was not up to the task of conveying God’s word.
“This is the Word of God we’re talking about,” he said. “It needs dignity and a high power 12-inch subwoofer with a neodymium magnet and a vented enclosure.”
The Church Elders blinked. Pastor Erik was not like their other ministers.
This young whippersnapper wanted to take this flock in a new direction. It didn’t matter if they needed walkers, dialysis or a hip replacement to get there– they were going to hear and feel God’s word.
He met any resistance with an out-pouring of Lutheran wisdom. Why spend thousands of dollars upgrading the sound system for a congregation of only 80 people? Because in 1541, Martin Luther himself said, “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” Pastor Erik watched his congregants closely and asked if they were willing to run the world’s greatest treasure through a dusty old sound board that muddled the low range? Would Martin Luther want that?
The Elders decided to approve a budget of $9000 and Pastor Erik set to work.
His first move: bring in Jim Hall, an acoustician who has spent 42 years installing commercial audio systems in the Northwest. Hall and the Pastor huddled near the altar and laid out a battle plan. Hall wanted to deploy a four speaker TOA HX-5 variable dispersion system above the altar to ensure speech clarity. It’s what he typically recommended for small churches.
“But it won’t rock, will it?” the Pastor asked.
Hall was a little surprised – most churches were content with the HX-5 system. But this minister was sharp. He knew the HX-5 couldn’t deliver the low end. The Pastor was asking Hall to push himself, to dig deep and that could mean only one thing: the FB-120B.
The 120B is a crunk-ready 600 watt sub guaranteed to strip the paint off the steeple of any church silly enough to order it. It’s exactly what Pastor Erik was looking for.
The system took eight hours to install. They added a 16 channel Mackie 1604 VLZ3 mixing board, an EAW CAZ 1400 dual-amp for the HX-5 and an additional CAZ 800 amp interlaced with an Ashly cross-over for the sub. The final touch: two 1 inch tweeters over the choir.
“It’s got to be the best system for a church its size in the Northwest ,” Jim Hall says.
To test it, Pastor Erik grabbed the nearest CD he could find: a copy of Veggie Tales left behind by a pre-schooler. He pressed play and the voice of Larry the Cucumber boomed across rural Washington as if Abraham himself had just come down from the mountain to tell the world that he had a new hat and it was made of lettuce.
Pastor Erik heard the music and it was good. It didn’t matter what the Cucumber was babbling about. The tune sent its shock waves through his bones and brushed across his soul like a divine wind.
We’re always leery of “world’s first” claims, but we’ve definitely never seen an AV receiver with a ginormous port on the front. The unorthodox device you’re inevitably peering at above is one part of the two-piece YHT-S400, which looks to provide cinema-like sound in areas where space is hard to come by. The 31.5-inch long soundbar measures just 2-inches high and is designed to fit in front of most 32- to 50-inch HDTVs without blocking the screen, while the accompanying “first-of-its-kind subwoofer-integrated receiver” provides the power, the bass and the connectivity. A trio of HDMI inputs are included, and HD audio signals from Blu-ray Discs are accepted via linear PCM transmission. It’s up for grabs now at $599.95, and if you’re hoping to add iPod or Bluetooth support, Yamaha‘s YDS-11 and YBA-10 adapters are fully compatible.
We recently had the opportunity to tour Klipsch‘s headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while we’re currently working up a walk-through showing off gobs of behind the scenes footage from the design lab and quality assurance facilities, we gathered two particularly juicy tidbits that simply couldn’t wait. The outfit informed us that since the Image S4i earbuds have been such a success, it will soon be adding its three-button iPhone microphone / remote to the top-of-the-line Image X10, and as you may expect, the resulting product will go by the name Image X10i. They’ll officially debut in the same gold and black motif at CES, and they should ship to consumers in early 2010 for $349 (while the original X10 falls to $299). The other discovery was that the hot-selling S4i earbuds (which we tested out a few months ago) will soon be shipping in a fresh color scheme (black and white, as seen above) and with the same metal tin that the S4 currently ships with. This is actually the first third-party headphone set with an integrated Made for iPhone remote / microphone that Cupertino has agreed to sell in white, and we can safely say that this two-tone look will probably have the Apple zealots drooling. Everything else about the $99 set remains the same as the standard S4i (including the cable material, electronics and price), and while we couldn’t confirm, we’d say that chances are high for future color options to sneak out in the S4 / S4i range. Check out the new wares in the gallery below.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
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My brother worships two things: God and Subwoofers.
